Daetrin[Admin] Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Here is what I see as being the perfect helmet. I wonder if it's even possible: 1. No wires - everything is 100% contained in the bucket or else there is Bluetooth/wireless. 2. Has fans, and a way to turn them on/off without taking your bucket off. 3. Can toggle my vox so I can either: A. Receive a phone call (voice doesn't go to speakers) B. External, e.g. I talk and it goes to my external speakers C. FRS: I can go to my FRS and chat with my fellow troopers without the need for external speakers -- All of the above can be toggled without removing my helmet, though touching my ear to cycle through the series is fine. 4. Has a helmet cam I can turn on/off without having to remove my helmet (touch ab button, helmet toggle?) 5. Wouldn't it be cool if I could take still pictures too? Maybe a trigger on my blaster? This is my ultimate dream helmet anyway. I'm sure it's all do-able, but not sure how much time/money it would cost to get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilboy[501st] Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 I have seen threads on the 501st, and at the RPF, discussing these various mods individually but not all together. I would imagine it is do-able, but would require some knowledge of electronics (arduino maybe?) and a lot of time to design/program the board to run the functions. maybe have one ear control the various audio input/output options, and the other for video. then the AB buttons could be choice switches (channels a, b, etc.) a combination of infrared and bluetooth should should accomplish the wireless aspects. I am more a planner than an engineer, so i will be following this closely, as I really like the concept... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Possible: absolutely. There's really nothing in that list that can't be done by a modern smart phone. It's just a matter of investment. I've been thinking of this for a while and I've broken out the problem in to a few stages where I think I can get this pretty cost effectively. I'm planning on using a platform approach where features can be added gradually. I'm hoping to have stage 1 prototyped in the next week or so. (hopefully by Star Wars Reads day, although I may be a bit overly optimistic) Stage 1 components: a) Aker amp. Chest mounted Microphone. I'm using a throat mic, but it could be anything c) Earpiece. For private communications and system sounds d) CPU. I'm using a Raspberry Pi ARM based Linux computer. e) Input button. I'm planning on an in glove button initially, but this may expand to ab buttons. f) Rechargeable power. I'm using an 8000 mAh mobile phone charger Stage 2 components: a) Real Time Clock. For spoken time and alarms Wireless Button. The plan is to use a torn down wireless mouse c) Fan power supply d) FRS/Cell switch Stage 3 components: a) HD USB webcam Video HUD For Stage 1 the microphone will be directly connected to the amp. The CPU will have two audio channels, a private one to the earpiece and a loudspeaker channel to the amp. Double tapping button presses will cycle through menu items, and the current menu item will be announced to the earpiece. Single tapping the button will select a menu item, which will either go deeper in to the menu structure, or will cause an action. For Stage 1 actions are just playing MP3s over the loudspeaker, and possibly also changing volume. Stage 2 would allow additional actions like reading the time and toggling fans. The wireless button could be installed in a blaster for trigger driven sound effects (or photos as you suggested). A custom daughter board for the Raspberry pi would probably be the best route to enable clock, FRS, cell phone, and fan controls. Those features may need to all be batched together to make that work, but since it will probably need a custom board those will take more time to put together. Video/Image recording can be accomplished by using a USB webcam, although I'm not yet sure what frame rates/resolution can be achieved with the limited compute capability. The trick here is hiding the camera in a way that still allows it to be connected via USB. The Raspberry Pi has video output as well so a modified Heads Up Display could be used for previewing webcam images. I haven't found a good source for cheap displays that I could mod in to a helmet yet. I've seen some that people have hacked together that would work, it's just about availability and price. I'm looking for good ideas on getting a wire from the chest to the helmet. I agree that no cable is best, but I'm not sure if it is feasible to have all of this in the bucket, so it would be best to have an easy connect/disconnect cable that can be operated in gloves. So far my plans are relatively cheap since I'm using mostly off the shelf components. Paul, if you are interested in working with me on this let me know. I'm willing to give building the ultimate TK-CPU a shot. The biggest stumbling block is just how much time it will take to get going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK bondservnt[501st] Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 (edited) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SixthSense Edited December 18, 2020 by gmrhodes13 link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 If someone makes this system..put me down for one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vader74 Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 if there was an iphone app i think it would solve it as u can get Bluetooth accessories mic speakers etc can any one make apps ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laspector[TK] Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 (edited) Man, I've been dreaming about that helmet for years!! But you forgot one point--it ALL comes assembled!! Right out of the box it's ready to go!! Edited September 26, 2012 by Laspector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vader74 Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 Man, I've been dreaming about that helmet for years!! But you forgot one point--it ALL comes assembled!! Right out of the box it's ready to go!! an app right outta the box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent Posted September 26, 2012 Report Share Posted September 26, 2012 There was a pretty good thread investigating the iPhone earlier: www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=18998 I use a Windows Phone rather then an iPhone, but they basically have the same problems: 1) Audio routing to a private headphone and a public loudspeaker simultaneously is not generally supported 2) Bluetooth introduces significant latency (ok for remote calls, but very awkward for a loudspeaker) 3) Input options for external buttons (ab plate/glove) are limited and may not be exposed to an app 4) Output for fan controls is also limited 5) You would still need custom hardware for FRS 6) Camera position is fixed relative to the phone making it hard to keep hidden and still use the camera That said, I still think using a smart phone for at least some of the functions is a great idea. If anyone can figure out how to overcome those hurdles a phone is probably the easiest path to a compact and reliable platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quadan[TK] Posted December 11, 2016 Report Share Posted December 11, 2016 6) Camera position is fixed relative to the phone making it hard to keep hidden and still use the c What of a bluetooth camera in say a helmet's ear lobe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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